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Ed Derwinski | |
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| 1st United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office March 15, 1989 – September 26, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Brown |
| Administrator of Veterans Affairs | |
| In office January 21, 1989 – March 15, 1989 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Thomas Turnage |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 8thUnder Secretary of State for International Security Affairs | |
| In office March 24, 1987 – January 21, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | William Schneider |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Bartholomew |
| 22ndCounselor of the United States Department of State | |
| In office March 23, 1983 – March 24, 1987 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | James L. Buckley |
| Succeeded by | Max Kampelman |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | William E. McVey |
| Succeeded by | George M. O'Brien |
| Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | |
| In office January 1957 – January 3, 1959 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Joseph Derwinski (1926-09-15)September 15, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 85) Oak Brook, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia van der Giessen Bonnie Hickey |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Loyola University, Chicago (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Unit | Infantry |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Edward Joseph Derwinski (September 15, 1926 – January 15, 2012) was an American politician who served as the firstCabinet-levelUnited States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, serving underPresidentGeorge H. W. Bush from March 15, 1989 to September 26, 1992. He previously served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1983, representing south and southwest suburbs ofChicago.
He was born inChicago, Illinois, on September 15, 1926, to Sophia Zmijewski and Casimir Ignatius Derwinski, who died in 1947. He attendedLoyola University of Chicago. Derwinski served in theUnited States Army in thePacific Theater duringWorld War II and in the postwarU.S. occupation of Japan. He graduated fromLoyola University Chicago in 1951. He was a celebrated member ofAlpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity.
In 1957, he was elected to theIllinois House of Representatives, where he served one term before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958. He served 12 terms as aRepublican representative from the4th District ofIllinois, a suburban region south and west of Chicago, eventually becoming ranking member of theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee (known for some periods as the International Relations Committee). He also served as a delegate to theUnited Nations General Assembly 1971–1972 and as chairman of the U.S. delegation to theInterparliamentary Union from 1970–1972 and 1978-1980.
In October 1978, Derwinski agreed to accompany fellow US representativeLeo Ryan in his investigation ofJonestown in November 1978. Derwinski was added to comply with Foreign Affairs Committee guidelines on travel, which suggested multiple people. Derwinski backed out later on; during this visit, Ryan was murdered and the members of the Peoples Temple committedmass suicide.[1]
ADemocraticredistricting plan after the1980 Census carved up the 4th District, with only about 15% of its territory being retained and added to various territory from other districts; Derwinski and fellow Republican congressmanGeorge M. O'Brien were placed in the same district, and O'Brien won the1982 primary on the strength of having more of his previous district included in the new configuration. After Derwinski's loss, PresidentRonald Reagan appointed him Counselor to theState Department. In 1987, Reagan appointed himUnder Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology, where he served until the end of Reagan's term, shortly after which he was appointed Administrator of Veterans Affairs, in charge of the Veterans Administration, which was elevated to cabinet-level status as the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989, making Derwinski the first Secretary of Veterans Affairs.[2]
APolish American, Derwinski was noted for his efforts on behalf ofEastern Europe throughout his career. Notably, he aided in the rehabilitation of theSerbian Royalist generalDraža Mihailović. Mihailović had received theLegion of Merit for his resistance efforts against the Axis—but this information was marked "secret" at the behest of theState Department so as not to harm relations with MarshalTito, the current ruler ofYugoslavia in 1967. Tito was Mihailović's rival in World War II, and after Tito's forces emerged triumphant, Mihailović was accused of collaboration with the Nazis and executed. At the urging of airmen involved inOperation Halyard who had been saved by Mihailović's forces and had heard rumors of the award to him, Derwinski insisted that the State Department make the text of President Truman's citation public, confirming that Mihailović had not collaborated.[3] Derwinski served as head of "Ethnic Americans forDole/Kemp" during the1996 presidential election.
Derwinski resided inGlen Ellyn, Illinois with his wife, the former Bonita Hickey, known as Bonnie. He had two adult children, Maureen and Michael, from his first marriage to Patricia Derwinski.
Derwinski died in a nursing home fromMerkel cell carcinoma, on January 15, 2012, at age 85.[4] He was buried inArlington National Cemetery inArlington, Virginia.
On learning of his death, former United States SenatorPeter Fitzgerald (R-IL) described Derwinski as "a giant in Illinois politics [...] [H]e had incredible connections in all the different ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago, he was really loved by everybody on both sides".
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 4th congressional district 1959–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Counselor of the United States Department of State 1983–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Undersecretary of State for International Security Affairs 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Administrator of Veterans Affairs 1989 | Position abolished |
| New office | United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs 1989–1992 | Succeeded by |
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| Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs 1972–1993 |  | |
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| Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs 1993–present | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
